Typewriting machine



C. B. CORCORAN.

TYPEWHITING MACHINE. APPLICATION nLfu'Nov.12, 1920.

1,434,046. Patented Oct. 31, 1922.

Ffg/

Patented ct. 3l, i922.

UNITE@ CORNELIUS B. CORCORAN, 0F NEW' YRK, N. Y., ASSIGNR TG UNDERW'GOD TYPE- WRITER COMPANY, OF NEX?? YORK, N. Y., A CPORAET OE' DELAVARE.

TYPEVJRITING IVIACHINE.

Application led November 12, 1920. Serial ITo. if/33,531.

To all whom il? may concern.'

Be it lrnown that l, CoRNnLrUs B. ConconAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in borough oic the Bronx, in the county of the Bronx, city and State ot New York, have invented certain new and usetul linprovements in Typewriting Machines, of which the following is a` specification.

This invention relates to ribbon-guildingand directing,- mechanism for typewriters, more particularly for typewriters or the portable variety, and is here shown as applied to an Underwood standard portable typewriter.

In the above-mentioned portable typewritq ers, it is one of the important objects to reduce the height of the machine, necessitating lowering oi the segment and also the lowering of the platen until (particularly in its lower oase-shift position) it is partly behind or below the level oft the ends of the segment. The ribbon is lowered to a point below the ends oit the segment, and the ribbon.- cups are so located and arranged that the ribbon passes in front oit the ends of the segment. In order to avoid shortening of the type-bars, which would be necessary it the bars swung,lr through 90 degrees, the bars are caused to swing through approximate-ly 120 degrees. ln traversing this large arc, the bars, especially those near the ends ot' the segment, tend to strike the ribbon lying in front or the ends of the segment, and their free movement is thus hindered. 'l` he ribbon lies so low relatively to the segment that` yapproximately on line 'mining their cenrequently actuation of the type-bars results in pressing` the ribbon into the end segment slots., y This invention seeks to avoid the abo-'vementioned objectionable condition.; first, by turning the slots in the ribbon-cups nearly 90 degrees, so that the ribbon leaves and enters the cups from the rearmost points, thus assisting' or making it easier to direct the ribbon to the rear .of the segment, where it will be out of the path oit the type-bars; second, by providing ribbon-guides to direct the ribbon to the rear ot the segment.; and, third, by providing guiding means in the form ot upstanding :ngers which confine the ribbon in its rearward position at the rear ot the segment. y

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

lfigure l is a plan View of a portable niachine, showing the invention applied thereto7 only such elements of the machine being shown as directly coi-operate with the invention.

Figure 2 is a iront elevation of the device shown in Figure l.

The standard portable typewriter is shown as comprising a trame indicated generally by the numeral l, and has a carriage provided with a platen 2 and mounted on alrail l and adapted to travel from right to left by letter-space movements upon actuation of type-bars el. rittached to the rail is a support 5 having upper arms ,6 acting as Lguides 'for ribbon-suplfiorters 7 which form guiding means for the ribbon adjacent the printing point on the platen. The usual segment l0, provided with slots il in which operate the type-bars 4, is fixed to the frame ot 'he machine and rigidly supports the type-guide "19. by means of the bracket portion i3 of said guide. ,lt is understood that the rail 3 and the mechanism which it supports shifts vertically when the carriage is shifted, in the usual case-shift operation.

On the shift-trame ot the machine (which includes the rail 3) are suitably mounted, at the front oit' the ends of the platen 2 and forward and laterally outward'ifrom the ends of 'the type-bar segment l0, ribbon-cups .l5 provided, at the liront thereof, with openings 17 and carrying ribbon-spools 16. Ordinarily, the cups are mounted so that the ribbon is ted out ot one cup and into the other at points ters, asshown by the dot-and-dash line in lligure l. It can here-be seen that the ril bon in such a case .vould be led in `front of the segment, and since the entire machine is built low, the upper ends oit thesegment and the accornpanying` type-bar slots are above the level ot the ribbon spools and ot the lower part ot the platen and are behind `the ribborn-as will'be clear from an inspecthrough an angle of rapproximately 90 degrees, bringing the openings l'T directly in the rear. The detached portions 20 of the cups project at the rear of the cups and are formed into bearings for shafts 2l of ribbonguiding rollers 22, around which the ribbon passes. It will be seen t-hat the ribbonguides are located sufficiently to the rear so that the ribbon is fed out towards the rear of the segment. To guide the ribbon. in this location and prevent itfrom slipping over the segment, there are fastened to the rail 3 at 25 two upstanding lingers 26 bent outwardly at 27 and having downturned ribbon-guiding ends t28 rearward from and adjacent to the ends of the type-bar segment l0.

It is readily seen that although the first ribbon-guides or guide rollers 22 and the second ribbon-guides or upstanding lingers 2G are features adapted to be used together, the 11p-standing lingers 26 can be used alone with a machine provided with ordinary ribbon-cups, and thus act as a guide to direct the ribbon toward the rear of the segment. It can also be seen from Figure l that the turning of the cups in the manner shown and the provision of the guides 22 would alone suilice to direct the ribbon toward the rear of the segment, even if there were no upstanding lingers. However, the two ribbon-guides 22 and 28 co-operate and are combined with the other parts and features of the machine in such manner as effectively to maintain the ribbon out of the path of the type-bars at the front of the type-bar segment.

Variations may be resorted to Within the scope of the invention, and portions of the im rovements may be used without others.

Iaving thus described my invention, I claim:

l. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination with a platen, a type-bar segment forward from the platen and eX- tending at its ends to a level above the lower part of the platen, type-bars pivoted on the type-bar segment., ribbon-spools at the front of the ends of the platen forward and laterally outward from the vends of the type-bar segment, and guiding means for the ribbon adjacent the printing point on the platen, said spools and guiding means being at levels so that the ribbon between the spools and guiding means is below the ends of the type-bar segment, of ribbon-guides between said guiding means and spools for directing the ribbon to the rear of the type-bar segment, whereby the ribbon will be out of the path of the type-bars.

2. In a 'front-strike typewriting machine, the combination with a platen, a type-bar segment forward from the platen and eX- tending at its ends to a level above the lower part of the platen, type-bars pivoted on the type-bar segment, ribbon-spools at the front of the ends of the platen forward and laterally outward from the ends of the type-bar segment, and guiding means for the ribbon adjacent the printing point on the platen, said spools and guiding means being at levels so that the ribbon between the spools and the guiding means is below the ends of the type-bar segment, of ribbon-guides rearward from the spools and laterally outward from and below the level of the ends of the type-bar segment, for directing to the rear of the ends of the typebar segment the parts of the ribbon which vextend between said ribbon-guides and said guiding means adjacent the printing point, so the ribbon will be out of the path of the type-bars.

3. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination with a platen, a type-bar segment forward from the platen and eX- tending at its ends to a level above the lower part of the platen, type-bars pivoted on the type-bar segment, ribbon-spools at the front of the ends of the platen forward and laterally outward from the ends of the type-bar segment, ribbon-cups containing the ribbon-spools, and guiding means for the ribbon adjacent the printing point on the platen, said spools and guiding means being at levels so that the ribbon between the spools and the guiding means is below the ends of the type-bar segment, of ribbon-guides carried by the ribbon-cups suiciently to the rear thereof so that the parts of the ribbon which extend between said ribbon-guides and said guiding means adjacent the printing point will pass to the rear of the ends of the type-bar segment, so as to be out of the path of the type-bars.

e. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination with a platen, a type-bar segment forward from the platen and extending at its ends to a level above the lower part of the platen, type-bars pivoted on the type-bar segment, and ribbon-spools at the front of the ends of the platen forward and laterally outward from the ends of the type-bar segment and occupying a level below the level of the ends of the type-bar segment, vof ribbon-guides rearward from and adjacent to the ends of the type-bar segment to prevent the ribbon passing in front of the type-bar segment, whereby the ribbon is guided out of the path of the type-bars.

5. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination with a platen, a type-bar segment forward from the platen and eX- tending at its ends to a level above the lower part of the platen, type-bars pivoted on the type-bar segment, ribbon-spools at the front of the ends of the platen forward and laterally outward from the ends of the typebar segment, and guiding means for the ribbon adjacent the printing point, said spools and said guiding means adjacent the printing point to maintain the ribbon at the reai of the ends of the type-bar segment, whereby said ribbon-guides Will maintain the ribbon out of the path oi" the type-bars at the front of the type-bar segment.

CORNELIUS B. CORCORAN.

Witnesses:

CATHERINE A. NEWELL, JENNIE P. THORNE. 

